This is a rescheduling of a book discussion originally planned in January but postponed due to winter weather. The new date, near the summer solstice, means that there is enough daylight to both talk about the book and observe birds in subirdia. We’ll allow for about an hour of book discussion (starting at 6:30 p.m.) followed by a neighborhood bird walk (starting ~7:30 p.m.) during which attendees can experience, observe, and discuss suburban birds and their habitats.

“Nature” has long been seen as something separate from people, even as development and urbanization increasingly blend human and natural habitats. In his 2014 book Welcome to Subirdia, Seattle-based author and researcher John M. Marzluff explores the surprising biological diversity supported by cities and towns and discusses how individual and collective decisions can help human landscapes become more tolerant of and integrated with the natural world.

As the author notes in an article for the Nature Conservancy, “It is not surprising that the most-heavily paved portions of the city hold few birds, but it is not the case that the least-disturbed places on Earth always hold the most birds. Wild reserves provide shelter for unique birds not found in the city, and they are absolutely essential. But the greatest variety of birds is often found in the suburbs.”

Please join the Columbia Audubon Society for an evening discussion of this thought-provoking book and the ways in which human management can encourage (or discourage) wildlife diversity, led by CAS members Eric & Joanna Reuter.